Sunday, January 25, 2009

Suspected drunken driver sat in car after trooper was hit

As State Trooper Dana Cresta lay bleeding from the head on the Mass Turnpike in Newton, the alleged drunken driver who had just struck him sat in his car for about 15 minutes and fretted about the situation, according to court records.

"I asked him if he got out of his car at all,'' Trooper Mark Augusta wrote in his arrest report. "Sullivan stated, 'No, why do that?' I asked him if he could see the trooper bleeding out in front of him, and he said yes.''

Patrick Sullivan, 23, was arraigned in Newton District Court on charges of operating under the influence, speeding to endanger, and driving in a breakdown lane. His lawyer, Daniel F. Campion, entered a plea of not guilty on Sullivan's behalf. Both men declined to comment outside the courthouse yesterday.

"I did not see any yellow lights or blue lights or traffic lights,'' Sullivan wrote. "The next thing I saw was the trooper in front of my car. This was unexpected. I could have left the scene, but I decided to stay in my car and not leave the scene. I saw the trooper [at the] last second and couldn't brake in time.''

In his report, Augusta said Sullivan was glassy-eyed and his speech was so slurred that he had trouble understanding him. Sullivan had difficulty keeping his balance and declined to submit to a Breathalyzer test, according to Augusta's report.